So I’ve been really leaning towards to getting a cdj setup lately because I just can’t afford to keep buying all the new music I want on vinyl. I don’t know if I can bring myself to sell both turntables and my options are either sell one turntable and get 2 x cdj or keep both turntables and get one of those Denon SC5000 players. Does anyone have experience with any of the Denon players and would you recommend one over say 2 x xdj700 for mixing in the house?
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I had some Denon CDJs as my first foray into digital about ten years ago. They were ok. Have had various Traktor bits and pieces since and now current home digital set up is 2x Pioneer XDJ700s. Personally, I’d always go with Pioneer. I think the XDJs are great for a home set up and on the rare (too rare!) occasions I’m let loose on the public it’s good to have that Pioneer familiarity/Rekordbox etc. Perhaps I’m too traditional in my thinking but anything deck related that’s not Technics or Pioneer just feels like a poor copy to me.
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People rave about the Denons, but you won’t find them in a DJ booth, and that’s a problem. That’s why I’d go XDJ-700
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Keep the turntables. The novelty value is massive when you have guests at your place. People get fascinated by them as even people who DJ regularly don’t know how to use them as only learned on digital.
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i’m like the opposite - i still only know how to mix vinyl, so the kids are always trying to show me all the digital trickery. it feels like a cross between gaming and my day job, neither of which i have any particular affinity for.
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After a year of Traktor X1 and Z1. I thought they might be a fun edition to my listening habits. I’m 100% digital now so it made sense and I could have a mix up at the same time. I find having to go in and beat grid a bunch of stuff a pain. Not having the ritual of putting on your headphones, needle dropping, cueing up, riding the pitch, watching the vinyl for your cues… It’s all wrong. It dosen’t feel like DJ’ing. It’s not the sport I used to love. I would go back having a sesh with records in a heartbeat.
Bonus take away though: they are good midi controllers for Bitwig and Ableton.
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Looking for some help, I’ve been using audacity to rip vinyl but I find the recording a bit flat, almost mono like
Any recommendations on a better software for a Mac or advice
Silly question, but are you recording stereo? Could it be set to mono? A mixer with decent pre-amps and good needle will help for sure. I get decent sounding rips using Audacity tbh
no, its set to stereo, I’m using an A&H zone mixer
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I record to Audacity from an Xone23. I’m sure my recording would be improved with a better stylus/tone arm set up but generally it’s pretty good I think.
What digital interface do you use between mixer and laptop?
no interface, just phono to line in. maybe that’s my problem?
That’ll be it then. Get a digi converter and you’ll notice the difference immediately.
There’s a whole thread on here somewhere about this.
@MGG was super helpful on this and recommended the one I bought called an iRig Stream. It wasn’t expensive.
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Thanks so much for your help
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Apologies if I’m being a bit pedantic but you’re plugging the turntable into a phono in instead of a line in, correct? Because if not then that’s your issue right there.
Assuming you aren’t doing that, then it could be an issue with the “Record Out”. I record straight out of my Xone mixer through the record out and got a very low signal until I learned the Xone’s record out has -10db attenuation meaning I basically have to kiss the red on the LED’s in order to get a good +3 - +6db signal on audacity.
Yes the iRig etc will help but if you are getting shitty sound it’s probably a hardware issue, with second highest probability in it being a soundcard level or record out issue.
Interface has done it, perfect now. Thanks so much for your advice
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No worries glad it’s sorted. Just passing on the advice I got from others on here!
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come again?
That’s just horrible on every level
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I ended up buying the Pioneer OPUS-QUAD as its an all-in-one unit, looks nice and is a good time.
Haven’t bought a record in 3 months (longest dry spell since I was 15) and can’t see myself adding to the collection unless it truly is a must have, and recently there haven’t been any that pass that ridiculous standard.
Do find myself getting carried away buying digital tracks on planes so not really saving money. Also, all the bells and whistles should come with a “just play the record mate” warning.
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That’s a serious piece of kit to start with! Looks great too. Have fun.